The Truth
by SSAEmilyHotchner
Summary: This is an optional sequel to my story "In The End," but it can also be a stand-alone. Hotch finally realizes that Emily deserves the truth, and he comes to apologize. Will Emily forgive him? Tell me what you think!
1. Part One: Broken Pieces

Author's Note: I actually never intended to write a sequel to "In The End," but on request I decided, why not? Besides, I think deep inside, I really wanted Hotch to apologize, and I love writing emotional scenes, so...here you are. This story can be a stand-alone; you don't have to read "In The End" to understand "The Truth"...but do it anyway. ;) Hope you enjoy! (Reviews would be fantastic..._hint hint._)

Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds. I think I'll just go wallow in my sorrows...if you need me, I'll be sulking in the corner.

* * *

It had been three days since the night that Hotch had left Emily. He felt _horrible._ He couldn't bear to even look at her. He had screwed up royally, he knew that much. Not a single word had been spoken between the two of them, and Hotch was beginning to realize that maybe what he had done hadn't been the smartest choice. He missed her smile, her sweet laugh, her presence in his life, and he wanted nothing more than to walk up to her, pull her into his arms and kiss her.

But she would probably slap him.

He had somehow naïvely convinced himself that leaving Emily would be a good solution to dissolve the tension between them.

_Who am I kidding?_ Hotch asked himself as he looked out his window and into the bullpen, his gaze coming to rest on Emily. As if she could feel his eyes on her, Emily looked up and toward his office. A brief second passed before he noticed that Emily was looking back at him, and he couldn't help but look away in shame.

Cowardly. That was the best description of him and his actions. He didn't have the strength to tell her the truth. So he ran, just like a coward would have done.

He looked up as he heard a knock on his office door. It was Emily, standing in the doorway with a large pile of paperwork in her arms.

"Oh. Prentiss. Come in." He internally slapped himself for his default use of her last name. A look of anger and annoyance briefly shot across her features. She walked into his office, set down all the files on the middle of his desk and stepped back.

"Here are all the case files you wanted. Now, unless there's anything else you need, _sir,_" she said in an almost sarcastic tone as she saw Hotch wince at the title, "I'm going to go home."

He nodded and said, "Go ahead. And thanks for the files." Emily turned to walk away, but was stopped by Hotch's voice.

"Emily…I'm sorry," he said weakly.

She glanced back and stared at him for a while before responding, "Yeah. So am I." Then she left his office, leaving him alone and staring at her retreating figure.

~.~.~

Hotch had a plan. He was going to tell Emily everything, and he was going to apologize. Properly apologize, that is.

On the way to her house, Hotch stopped by a local florist and got her flowers. Rose pink, peach, and canary yellow tulips, which just happened to be her favorites. He had previously been tuning out the quiet music coming from the radio because of everything on his mind, but as he neared Emily's condo he turned it louder, absorbing the lyrics.

_Lying next to you  
Wishing I could disappear  
Let you fall asleep  
And vanish out into thin air_

_It's the elephant in the room_  
_And we pretend that we don't see it_  
_It's the avalanche that looms above our heads_  
_And we don't believe it_

_I still keep your photographs_  
_I remember how we used to laugh_  
_I can keep on losing sleep_  
_If you're okay with being torn in half_

_Stop ignoring that our hearts are mourning_  
_And let the rain come in_  
_Stop pretending that it's not ending_  
_And let the end begin..._

_Trying to be perfect_  
_Trying not to let you down_  
_Honesty is honestly_  
_The hardest thing for me right now  
__While the floors underneath our feet_  
_Are crumbling, the walls we built together tumbling_  
_I still stand here holding up the roof_  
_'Cause it's easier than telling the truth_  
_  
It's easier than telling the truth_

The irony.

He pulled into her driveway, barely catching the name of the song, as the radio announcer said, "That was 'The Truth', by Kris Allen, featuring Pat Monahan."

_The truth_, Aaron thought. He sighed. _I have to tell her. She deserves so much more than my lies._

He knocked on the door of her condo, flowers in hand, and took stock of his condition.

He was nervous as hell.

The door swung open slowly, revealing Emily on the other side, leaning against the doorframe.

"Emily," he said, his eyes meeting hers and coming to a heart breaking conclusion. She had been crying.

She sighed in frustration. "What do you want, Hotch?"

He handed her the bouquet of tulips, which she took gingerly, bringing them near her face and breathing in their ambrosial scent. "Sunset tulips," she said quietly. Hotch's and her nickname of the flowers impulsively rolled off her tongue before she could think, and triggered old memories. "My favorite."

"Your favorite," he murmured at the same time. "I would never forget," he thought bitterly. He thought back to a few months ago when they had been standing in front of Emily's bedroom window, just staring at the sunset and its beautiful colors. He had handed her a bouquet of the tulips and she had laughed, saying that both the flowers and the sky looked alike. From then on, the tulips were officially called "sunset tulips" by the two of them. It was a small nickname, but it was something that only they shared.

They stood there for a few seconds, although it felt like hours. Hotch could tell that an identical memory was playing behind Emily's eyes. Finally she relented, saying, "Come in."

She held the door open for him, cautiously bringing him into her heart once more.


	2. Part Two: Making Amends

Author's Note: Well, here it is; the apology. I tried to make it as emotional as I imagined it, so tell me what you think! I just want to give a big thank you to all my faithful readers, and I hope you enjoy! Remember: A well rounded critique is often the most rewarding gift a reader can give. (I didn't just copy that from the reviews page…) ;)

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is...not mine. *sobs uncontrollably*

* * *

After a moment of uncomfortable silence during which Emily had set the tulips in a vase, she cleared her throat and said, "I hope you don't think that by giving me flowers and not speaking you're somehow forgiven."

They finally met each other's eyes and Hotch could tell that she was still bitter. _For good reason, _he unconsciously added in his thoughts. _How could I have done this to her? What on Earth was my reasoning?_ He had been an idiot, that's for sure, thinking that his moronic actions would rid them both from the unnecessary stress that he had caused.

But he was mistaken. She didn't hate him at all. She just missed him.

He took a few steps closer to her, gauging her reactions and preparing his explanation.

"Emily, I know that I messed up. I somehow thought that by leaving you, I would be able to get rid of the tension between us. Ever since Foyet…" he paused, skipping the details, "I've had this feeling that I can't get too close emotionally to anyone because I would just become a burden. Then you came." He smiled, remembering, "You came, and you were the one person who bothered to offer comfort. I fell in love with you," he admitted, avoiding her gaze.

"But…I just couldn't stop thinking about what he had done…and it's like he just took over my life. I lost my ability to think about anything else. Then we started fighting, and because of all the tension, the distance between us kept growing larger and larger…and I knew it was my fault. I didn't want there to be even more weight upon your shoulders. We are all stressed out as it is, and knowing that I just added on to that…it made me feel unbelievably guilty. I left because I didn't want you to be hurt." He chuckled miserably, then added, "But look where that got me."

He looked up at her and saw that her expression had changed. She still remained quiet, and he filled the silence with his ending remarks. "I love you, Emily. I never meant to hurt you, or to make you cry…I never meant for any of this to happen." His voice broke as he finished by saying quietly, "Please forgive me."

She walked up to him, slowly closing the distance between them. When she spoke, her voice was quiet, almost...shy. "Of course I forgive you, Aaron." She shook her head. "I'm so _sorry_. Why didn't you tell me before? I would have understood."

He nodded and said, "I know you would have. I was a coward. I was afraid that you…"

He stopped.

"That I what, Aaron? That I wouldn't love you? That I would leave you?"

His silence was her answer.

"Aaron, look at me. I would never and _will never _leave you. _Ever._ Do you understand? I love you, and I love you for who you are and everything that has happened to you. It's a part of your history whether you like it or not, and our histories define us. So yes, I forgive you and don't you ever leave me again."

Without thinking, he pulled Emily into his arms and kissed her tenderly. She kissed him back, her arms instinctively wrapping around his neck as she melted into his embrace.

As they pulled away slowly and reluctantly, they knew that because of their strong love and perseverance for each other, things would always be alright.

No matter what threatened to pull them apart.

**THE END.**


End file.
